Russia blocks Novaya Gazeta website

Russia blocked access to the website of independent publication Novaya Gazeta on Thursday.

It's the latest in a string of blows to the newspaper, which often reported stories at odds with Kremlin narratives.

In March, Novaya Gazeta suspended publication in print and online due to strict new censorship laws introduced after Russia invaded Ukraine.

Many staff relocated to the European Union where they established a sister website. Access to this sister website was subsequently blocked by the Russian media regulator Roskomnadzor in July.

Meanwhile, in September, Russian courts revoked Novaya Gazeta's media license.

A storied history

Novaya Gazeta was the last and most prominent independent media outfit in Russia.

The award-winning newspaper was founded in 1993 with money from former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev's Nobel Peace Prize.

Editor Dmitry Muratov was  awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2021, alongside Philippine editor Maria Ressa, for his contribution to safeguarding freedom of the press in Russia. Months later, authorities cracked down on his newsroom.

"What you are doing is murder," Muratov said when the publication's online license was suspended by authorities in September. "You are depriving hundreds of people of jobs, and readers — there were 27 million in March — of the right to information."

Reuters and TASS news agencies contributed to this article.

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